Suffering a heartbreaking fifth set defeat to the Saints six months ago for the league title on its home court, the Barton Community College volleyball team returned the favor Monday evening inside the Barton Gymnasium taking down 7th ranked Seward County Community College in a five set Jayhawk battle 19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 19-25, and 15-11.
The third straight victory moves the first place Cougars to 4-0 in the Jayhawk and 12-5 overall while the Saints suffer their first conference loss of the season falling to 2-1 in league play and 8-3 overall. Barton faces another stiff test on Wednesday in hosting 16th ranked Butler Community College in a 6:30 p.m. first serve.
RECAP
The Cougars got off to a sluggish start in the opener, trailing 5-2 and again at 10-7 before kills by Maria Santos and Mylena Testoni sparked a 3-0 run tying it up at 10-10. The Saints opened the gap to its' largest of the set at 18-12 following an 8-2 run. Barton would climb back to within three at 21-18 following kills by Tasiah Nunnery and Santos before Seward County claimed four of the final five points taking the opening set 25-19.
Falling behind 1-0 to open the second set Barton received some needed life as a pair of Saint errors alongside a Nunnery service ace and Testoni kill sparked a 4-0 stretch forcing a Seward timeout. Barton pushed the lead to five and eventually six out of the Saints' second timeout as a pair more of Nunnery kills and Isabella Guedes service ace fueled a 5-0 spurt and 15-9 advantage. Stretches of three straight and four consecutive Seward attacking errors positioned the Cougars in the driver's seat at 23-13. A double assisted block by Victoria Da Silva and Joelle LaForce capped by Nunnery's fourth unofficial kill of the set knotted the match at one apiece.
Barton rode the momentum into the third set as the Cougars tallied runs of 5-0 and 7-0 ballooning the advantage to 13-3. The Cougars grasped their largest lead of the match at 18-7 succeeding a Da Silva kill, Addison Crites solo block, Hanna Miller service ace and Saints attacking error. Seward climbed back to within seven behind a 4-1 spurt but a Saints attack error gave Barton a 25-17 third set victory and 2-1 match lead.
The light switch flipped off for the Cougars in the fourth set, stringing just four multiple points together as the Saints forced a fifth and decisive set with a 25-19 victory.
Barton got the opening two points in the fifth off a Santos kill and Seward miscue. Following a pair of Saints' tallies to tie it up, Santos delivered the energy recording her second kill while assisting with Crites on a double assist rejection prompting Seward's first timeout. The Cougars doubled up the Saints at 8-4 as a Crites kill, Testoni and Da Silva assisted block and Saints attack error prompted a 3-0 Barton run. Not going away Seward pulled to within 11-9 before the Cougars answered back with a Nunnery attack and another wall denial by Santos and Crites stretching the Cougars lead to 13-9. Santos third kill of the set put Seward on the brink as Barton rode to a 15-11 victory after the Saints' third attack error of the set.
Testoni led the Cougars' 57-kill night with another double-double performance, her 12th of the year in recording 17 kills coming on 43 swings (.372) and tying Miller for digs honors with 24 while also rejecting the Saints with three blocks. Nunnery also stayed hot with 11 kills (.276) while posting her fifth straight double-double collecting 17 digs. Santos pounded out 12 kills and finished one dig shy of a double-double with 9 while contributing two of the Cougars' 16 blocks.
Guedes led the 6-2 offense with 35 assists, chalking up 17 digs for her 5th double-double in the last six matches, while Mya Maxwell put out 17 assists helping Barton to a .253 offensive attack.
Making strong contributions at the net, Da Silva and Crites each recorded 4 blocks with LaForce adding three more to go along with 9 kills on a .304 attack.